100 STORY OF THE REPTILES 



It may be a sort of madness of attack, and not any 

 special " charm." The author once witnessed a sum- 

 mer yellow-bird so behaving, but he was prevented 

 from seeing the end by the noise of others approach- 

 ing. The testimony of many concerning actual cap- 

 ture having taken place in this manner is sufficiently 

 worthy of belief. But the kind of attraction or para- 

 lyzing eifect exerted is by no means settled. 



Lizards are both carnivorous and vegetable eaters. 

 In a few cases, like the snakes, they eat each other, 

 though there is not anywhere now a " lizard-of -prey " 

 (corresponding to the bird-of-prey or preying mam- 

 mals) which is adapted to devour its kind, as was the 

 old LcelajJs — a re])tile of a })ast age. 



Most lizards are fond of insects. Many found in 

 the Western States eat leaves, buds, and blossoms of 

 plants. One of these, the " chuck- walla," is a large, 

 fat, lazy lizard, faring well on this weak diet. There 

 is a sea-lizard that haunts rocks by the ocean and 

 eats seaweed. Many of the giants among the fossils 

 had peculiar methods of feeding, as we may infer from 

 their teeth; but we will note these later when we 

 mention the families. The land-monsters were mostly 

 browsers, while the sea-monsters were carnivorous. 



Offense, Defense, and Escape 



Nowhere are there more various offensive and de- 

 fensive methods, or means of being disagreeable, than 

 appear in the class of the Reptiles. While all are not 

 well endowed, some are armed and armored won- 

 drously. We have already spoken of the teeth, 



